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Dec. 6, 1927. 1,651,484

l. A. TAYLOR ET AL ASH DISCHARGE MCHANISM FOR MECHANICAL STOKERS FiledApril 26. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet l I N V EN TORJ TORNEYJ` L; @zo

[y Adr/4 Dec. 6, 1927. 1,651,484

l. A. TAYLOR ET AL ASH DISCHARGE MECHANISM FOR MECHANICAL STOKERS FiledApril 26. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I )WY Www/mmf:

Patented Dec. 6, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IRVING- A. TAYLOR AND CARL H. RICH, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS,ASSIGNORS TO RILEY STOKER CORPORATION, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ACORPORA- TION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

ASH-DISCHARGE MECHANISM FOR MECHANICAL STOKERS.

Application led April 26, 1922.

This invention relates to mechanical stokers and particularly toimproved devices for removing` ash and refuse therefrom. Such stokersare now built in very large units having many retorts, and poweractuated mechanism is frequently provided for raising and lowering theashdischarge or dumping plates, as the weight and load have becomeexcessive for manual operation.

These ash discharge plates are, however, concealed under the burningmaterial within the furnace, so that the exact position of the plates isdifficult to determine. Under these conditions, it not infrequentlyhappens that the power actuating mechanism is allowed to over-run in onedirection or the other, with consequent liability of injur 1 ormisplacement of parts.

It is the general object of our invention to provide power mechanism formoving the ash discharge plates in a mechanical stoker, in combinationwith controlling devices which will limit vthe extent of movementthereof, preferably in both directions. As shown in the drawings, thiscontrol is accomplished through electrical connections to a drivingmotor. Our invention is not 11mited however in its broader applications'to the use of any particular form of driving mechanism or controllingdevices therefor.

A further object of our invention is to provide additional manualcontrol of the actuating mechanism, by which the mechanism may bestopped in any desired intermediate position.

()ur invent-ion further relates to arrangements and combinations ofparts which willy he hereinafter described and more particularly pointedout in the appended claims.

A preferred form of our invention is shown in the drawings in which Fig.1 is a vertical longitudinal section of certain parts of an underfeedstokei` of a commercial type;

Fig. 2 is a. plan view of our improved actuating and controllingmechanism for moving the ash discharge plates;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 2;

Serial No. 556,780.

Fig 4 is an enlarged detail perspective viep of parts of the controllingmechanism; anc

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view of a systeni of electrical connections forthe driving motor.

Referring particularly to Fig. 1, we have indicated certain parts of anunderfeed stoker comprising a retort having side walls 10 supportingtuyere blocks 11, an overfeed grate 12 at the rear of the retort, andash discharge plates 13 pivotally supported on brackets 14 connected tothe movable side walls 10 at the rear end thereof. An opening 15 is leftbetween the discharge plates 13 and the rear wall 16 of the furnace.

The plates 13 are supported near their lower ends by rack bars 17slidable in fixed guide-ways in the stoker frame 1S and having rackteeth on their lower faces meshing with pinions 19 on a shaft 20. Theshaft 2O extends transversely under theseveral retorts and is providedwith a separate pinion 19 for each rack bar 17.

The parts thus far described are of a usual commercial type and inthemselves form no part of our invention. For a further description ofthe construction and operation thereof, reference is made to the priorpatent to R. Sanford Riley, No. 1,322,822, issued November 25, 1919.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the shaft 20 extends through a bearing plate21 on the outside of the furnace side wall 22 and is provided with agear 23 meshing with a, pinion 24 mounted on a stud 25 fixed in theplate 21, the pinion having a. sprocket wheel 27 rotatable therewith.

A driving motor 30 is suitably mounted on a base 31 and rotates a screw32 (Fig. 3) which drives a` worm wheel 33 on a cross shaft 34. The shaft34 is provided with a sprocket wheel which is connected through a chain35 with the sprocket wheel 27 previously described. The motor 30 is thusconnected through the worm and worm wheel, the chain and sprocket wheeland the spur gearing to rotate the shaft 2O at a lll greatly reducedspeed. The motor is of the reversingv type and may be caused to rotatein either direction to raise or lower the plates 13.

lVe will now describe the devices by which the extent ot operation ot'the motor liniited and controlled. A threaded shaft 1.0 is rotatable inbearings all and lf2 on a slate base' /ll secured to the base 3l. ot'the motor 3() between the motor and the cross shaft Slt. The sh att l0is provided with a sprocket. wheel -t3 connected by z Chain tilto adriring sprocket wheel on the cross shaft 3ft. By these comiectimisj theshaft l0 is rotated in one direction or the other whenever the motor 30is in operation.

A nut (Fig. 1l) is threaded on the shaft 40 and is provided with upwardand downward projections 46 and t?. The downward projection 4t? extendsinto a slot or groove i8 which prevents rotation oi the nut but permitsaxial incrementthereot by the threaded shaft dit). rllhe upwardprojection t6 is positioned to engage Contact arms 419 and at theopposite ends ot' its path oi" mo vementrllhe erm fifi is mounted on api it 5l on the non-conducting base and normally en- `rages a post .52also tired in the hase 4:3. rllhe circuit through which the motor drivenin one direction is closed through the arm t9 and the post 52.lllhenever the arm is separated from the post, this circuit is brokenand the motor is stopped. The arm 50 similarly engages a post intheother circuit and the rotation. oit the motor in the opposite directionis stopped by breaking' the circut through these parts.

lVhenever the motor is started in either direction., it will continue torotate until the travelling nut 45 engages one or the other of the rms49 or 50 depending' on the direction of rotation of the motor, andthereby breaks the corresponding' circuit. ly suitably proportioning andpositioning the parts, the number ot revolutions ot the motor necessaryto move the nut trom one end to the other ot its patholt travel may bemade to exact-ly correspond to the required ninnber ot revolutions oli'the shaft Q0 to slide the racli bars and move the dumping` plates fromraised to lowered position and viceversa` In Fig. 5, we have shownillustrative connections through which the motor may he started andstopped. Push buttons and 56 are provided `tor starting the motor ineither desired direction and a third push button 57 may be used to breakthe circuit and stop the motor at any desired intermediate point. rlheelectrical connections as `diarammatically shown in 5 are as tolowszu iThe motor 30 receives power through a power circuit comprising the wires60, Gl

Leonesa and 62. The main wire 6l is connected through the wire 63 to thenormally open switch or button 56 and to the normally closed switch orbutton 5T. This switch 57 is connected by a wire (Seit to the normallyopen switch and also to the contact posts F2 and Assuming that the armfil) engages the post 52 when the switch '55 is momentarily closed, acircuit is then completed `through the wire the :switch 57, a portion ofthe wire 64, the switch and a wire 65, to a solenoid (itl which in turnis connected by a wire 6'? to the main wire 62. The solenoid attracts alever 68 which closes a series of switches 69, 7() and 7l. rlhe switch69 controls a parallel connection through the post 52, arm i 49, wire 72and a port-ion oi' the wire to the .solenoid 56. rllhis latterconnection remains closed after the switch 55 is released and thus keepsthe motor in operation. The switches and. 'Tl close the cirf cuitsthrough the main wires 6l and 62 and connections 6l and 62' to the motor30, the wire (St) being` permanently connected thereto.

When the travelling nut 45 breaks the solenoid circuit by moving the arm49, the lever tis released and is returned to normal open position byspringsr' and the motor is immediately stopped. It at any time theswitch 57 is opened, the same cliect will be produced as is produced bymovement of 'the arm 49, the solenoid circuit will be broken, and themotor will be stopped.

The operation ot' the remainingf parts or' the control mechanism underthe control oit the switch 56 is identical, with the exception that thewires 6l and G2 will be reversely connected to the wires 62 and 6l andthat the motor 30' will be rotated in the opposite direction.

The connections above described are illustrative only and in themselvesform no part ot' our invention. Any other suitable and convenientcontrolling devices may be sub stituted :tor those herein shown.

lt will appear from the foregoing description that the convenience andcertainty ot operation oi the ash Ydischarge mechanism greatly improvedby the invention herein described, as the stolier operator needs merelyto push the button 55 when he desires to move the dumping plates 13 tolowered positionand the mecl'ianism will proceed to accomplish this actwithout tun ther attention, stopping when the plates have reached their1lowest position. larly hy pushing?,T the button 56, the plates may berestored to normal raised position, also without further attention bythe oper ator. y

rlhe position of the*travellingnut in itself forms a convenientindication of the position ot the dumping plates 13 or the nut may Simiifill loo

obviously he very readily connected to any suitable indicating deviceJfor giving any other desired visual indication out' the position of theplates 13.

Havingthus described our invention and the advantages thereof1 we do notwish to be limited to the details herein disclosed otherwise than as set`forth in the claims, hut what we claim is l. In a stoler, an ashdischarge device mounted for discharginp` and restoring; movements`power means for driving said device, control means ell'ective toautomati- |ally stop one ot' said movements and bring the device to restat a pre-determined point, and means to start the movement of saiddevice at the will ot' the operator.

Q.In a stok-er, pivoted rocking ash discharge plates mounted fordischarging and restoring' movement, power means for low ering saidplates, and control means effec` tive to render said power meansinoperative, and bring' said plates to rest at a pre-determined point inthe lowering movement of said plates.

3. In a. stoker, ash discharge plates, power driven means to give saidplates a movement to discharge ashes therefrom and a movement to restoresaid plates to normal position, and controlling means eective to rendersaid power driven means inoperative and bring' said plates to rest at apre-determined pointl `in each of the discharging' and restoring'movements of said plates.

Ll. In a stoker, ash discharge plates, power driven means to give saidplates a movement to discharge ashes therefrom and a movement to restoresaid plates to normal position, and cont-rolling means effective torender said power driven means inoperative and bring' said plates torest at a pre-determined point in cach ot the discharging` andrestoring` movements ot said plates between the limits oi eachn'iovei'nent.

5. In a stoker, an ash discharge plate, one end ot' which is positionedin a plane above the other end, and pivoted near its upper end, a rackbar supportingl said plate near the lower end thereof, a motor, a piniondriven thereby and engagingsaid bar to move said har ilmward andrearward in said stolzer and thereby lower and raise said plate, andmeans to stop said motor at pre-determined points in the movement ofsaid bar.

In testimony whereof We have hereunto aiiixed our signatures.

IRVING A. TAYLOR. CARL H. RICH.

